By:Lauren Almonte
Girls Varsity Basketball
12.18.15
The girls’ basketball program is one of the most successful programs at Colonie Central High School. They have for the majority of the time made it further than any other team sports go during sectionals. Especially with the team’s success last year, a lot of pressure is on the team this season.
Head coach Heather Fiore expressed how she felt about her team this year during an interview. When asked how the expectations of the team have changed from last year to this year she responded with, “Last year we started the season and no one knew who we were; we won the games we were supposed to but there were no huge upsets. Once sectionals came and we played Albany, it was a huge win for us; no one expected us to come out of that game with a win. Teams are watching out for us this year, they know who we are and we need to take it at them.” The team’s record as of December 15th, is 3-2.
This year the girls faced a tough start on their schedule. With playing Troy, Albany, and then Bethlehem they needed to be very focused for that week and a half. Fiore said that she feels the team should have played more together in those first three games that would have allowed for a win over Albany and Troy. She said, “Our team chemistry is great off of the court, the girls are always laughing and joking around, but it’s like we have never played before together once they stepped on the floor.”
The slow start the girls had brought a lot of pressure down on the captains to pick the team up and pull them out of their losing streak. One of the captains Hannah Isaacson said that she along with the other two captains called a team meeting and the girls went around in the circle saying what they thought they did well, and also what they thought they did badly. This helped them tremendously and more talking brought them to focus more during practice.
The next day the girls got their first win over Saratoga Springs, although it was a battle they were able to finish on top. Practice continued to get better throughout the week and when they played Niskayuna they were able to keep a lead the whole game never losing their composure.
Coach Fiore and her team are slowly beginning to get back to the team to look out for like they were last year. Once the girls are able to fully come together on the court they will be unstoppable.
